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Tennessee basketball seniors J.P. Prince, Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism lead off drills during the first practice of the 2009-2010 season at Pratt Pavillion on Friday, Oct. 16, 2009.
Where do you start in the first hour of the first day of basketball practice? Basics.
Basic defense, in fact.
"We lead the league in offense every year,'' Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said Friday, "and if people come to our practices they'll see me spend 60 or 65 percent of the time on defense.''
The Vols, expected to contend for an SEC title, worked two hours at Pratt Pavilion on the first official day for college teams to practice.
Thanks to NCAA allowances for limited team and individual work beforehand, the Vols weren't starting completely from scratch.
"So I sort of have expectations that there are certain things we're going to do and we're going to improve on them and then go on to the next thing,'' said Pearl, who is beginning his fifth year at UT.
Going on to some of the next things fell by the wayside in session one.
Although the Vols are breaking in only three newcomers compared to five last year, Pearl noticed an unfortunate similarity:
"Last year I spent a lot of time having some very, very basic concepts and I never got to the advanced stuff.
"So I'm not going to move forward until we get the basic stuff down, meaning ball pressure and help-side (defense), because that was a weakness for us.''
The opening practice marked two weeks until the first exhibition game, against North Alabama on Oct. 30.
Point guard Melvin Goins, one of the three newcomers, watched from the sideline Friday, doing exercises to strengthen the knee he had repaired by arthroscopic surgery on Oct. 6.
While Goins is ahead of schedule in his recovery, Pearl wishes he were practicing now.
"Our depth at point guard is a factor,'' Pearl said. "With Melvin out and Josh Tabb (who is suspended) out, Josh Bone and Mike Hubert are having to play that position.
"Josh is more of a combo guard and Mike is a walk-on, so Bobby Maze's team has got a real advantage so far as setting up five-on-five situations.''
Tabb Status: Pearl said there is no timetable for a decision to resolve Tabb's indefinite suspension.
"He's just focusing on his academics,'' Pearl said. "We're just going to have to stay tuned and see what happens.''
Tabb, a senior, has played in 96 career games and started 14, including 11 last year.
He was suspended on Sept. 19. At the time Pearl said Tabb needed to "meet all of our expectations."
Notebook: The Vols scrimmage Thursday night to get the feel of game scenario prior to the exhibition. ... Observing practice on an unofficial visit was forward Jayvaughn Pinkston, a 6-foot-6 forward from Brooklyn, N.Y.
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Comments » 28
paul5170 writes:
Pinkston raited 35th overall by SCOUT,67th overall by rivals---Physcial big man who works the boards.
orangevolz writes:
Geez....first day of practice. Just what do you expect.
Slystone writes:
No Midnight Madness in TBA? With it being and off week (inFootball) the Vols should have packed the arena for this event. I guess it goes to show the level of interest with UT basketball. And this team could end up in the Final Four, but they really have to commit to defense and playing like a team. Really surprised a Midnight Madness event was not promoted.
Slystone writes:
Pinkston may be a get, but Tobias Harris will be hard to get from Syracuse.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
UT is on fall break, the football team is off, and it's the prime leaf-viewing weekend in the Smokies. Lots of football fans, which would include many if not most of the basketball fans, could be expected to take advantage of the last UT-football-free weekend of the season. It would be worse to try to have a big basketball tip-off extravaganza and not have a big crowd than to not have one at all. Even though there are arguably more people interested in UT men's basketball than ever before, this is still not UK, UNC, Kansas, or some other basketball hot-bed where EVERYBODY would plan their weekend around the local version of "Midnight Madness".
TopTenn writes:
Your tigers would gladly take the Sweet 16 this season.
CapitolC writes:
Memphis fans comical - typically no intelligent thought processes or conversation. Just pre-pubescent droppings.
You can always sense the envy behind the scribble
kti5783 writes:
There probably won't be any Midnight Maddness with Bruce as the coach. He's stated he didn't like them and it was a waste of practice time. It's all fun and games with the contests and skits they did, but it's a day they can use to get better. I went to Buzz and Jerry's teams that had midnight maddnesses, but their teams NEEDED to be promoted. In a way it creates more interest for the exhibition games, since that's the first oppurtunity to see the team as a whole.
asleep#212036 writes:
As exciting as the high-scoring games have been in the Pearl era, his best teams have always been the ones that could play the pressure D for 60 minutes. Last year's team couldn't play D at all and a season with double-digit losses came calling. If we don't get Maze to step up or find another PG that can play D for 94 feet, run the offense, and at least be a threat to score from the perimeter, we will never be able to take that next step into the Elite 8 and beyond. Look no further than Neyland Stadium the past two years - without a competent field general, returning to the nation's elite is a pipe dream. Same with hoops - name me the last team that won a NC in basketball without at least above-average PG play. Keep looking. Go Vols!!!
CoverOrange writes:
I'm not reading that quote right am I?
Last year Bruce spent too much time on the basics and never got to the advanced stuff. So this year, he isn't going to do the advanced stuff until he gets the basics down? What?
CoverOrange writes:
Purely academics?
Slystone writes:
Guys you're missing the point - exposure, recruiting,getting UT face time on TV. Put whatever spin on it I think the opportunity was missed. And all you gave were excuses. This program will only compete on the level like a Kansas,UCLA,UK or Memphis when it starts to make Basketball (men)a priority. Stop making excuses and start questioning why this team (Pearl) is not doing certain things.
Ironcity writes:
UT's is not having a problem with recruiting. Midnight madness does nothing but reinforce showtime basketball. Coach has and is not going to waste practice time promoting the team to its fans. This team is already heavily promoted and I applaud coach for doing whats best for the team and the fans.
Chris4Vols22 writes:
I don't think any true Vol fans are mad at Bruce for anything. You guys are wasting your time haha.
Slystone writes:
Voice of no reason - listen to yourself. Again more excuses for Pearl. This weekend was the time to promote UT B-ball. Instead the headlines were about Kiffin recruiting in Ga. However if Pearl had said let's have the event you'd be okay with it. Recruiting still is a problem for Pearl. He just lost Josh Selby, Aaron Craft and a few kids out of Memphis. So let me understand this he hates Midnight Madness, but has no problem wearing paint over his body on public TV? Wow, A clueless knitwit like you will never understand. UT is a football school, but they have a top 10 Bball team that get's limited attention. Pearl's recruiting over the last 2 yrs has not been that good. He needs to rethink his recruiting strategy. For the record I don't attend redneck events.
Slystone writes:
Plasty - outside of Hopson (who was up and down last season) none of the players you mentioned had break out performances. Go look at the minutes played and the ppg they had and get back to me.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
You're right, Sly. Whatever Pearl wanted to do about Midnight Madness or pretty much anything else would be fine with most Vol basketball fans. VOR is far from a water-carrier for CBP, but at least he knows how CBP feels about such events. For myself, I kinda like them, even though they are beside the point in terms of preparing for a season. UT fans will pack TBA if the team does well during the season. Whether or not they have Midnight Madness won't affect that.
Most highly-sought-after recruits these days are far less concerned with such showy special events than they are about how they relate to the coach and the team, what the team's future prospects are, and what they think about the school and community as a whole. Basketball will never be the #1 sport at UT the way it is some other places, but that doesn't mean it can't compete on the national level or that it has nothing to offer high-level recruits.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
It's often difficult to tell from articles like this exactly what was said or in what context. What I understood was that last year's team never did understand basic defensive principles, so they never got to more advanced stuff. Hopefully, after hammering away at those basics all last year, it won't take long to instill them this year, but it nearly always makes sense to assess where a team is in terms of basics after a fairly long off-season before hopefully moving on.
KCHS63 writes:
There was a "harmonic convergence" of hoods in Memphis recently when they trashed the Jewish fraternity and then committed armed robbery against some of the members.
Memphis be sooooooo classy with two different types of "hoods" coming together for another typical day at the "University" of Memphis.
Slystone writes:
Plasty - I have followed the Vols since the days of Devoe, so I don't fall into that category of a Vol fan just signed on. I just see Pearl's recruiting in question and I'm surprised other fans (long time) haven't voiced concerns. Then perhaps if this team does well he may bolt for a different opportunity based on feeling he has taken this team as far as he can. Nonetheless for folk to say not hosting a Midnight Madness in TBA is pointless would be absurd. Then maybe he didn't want to do it because he knew he would only have one recruit visiting (Pinkston).
Slystone writes:
Not all things work the same, but sometimes having an event such as a Midnight Madness works, especially from a recruiting standpoint.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/...
murrayvol writes:
Tennessee has exactly 13 NCAA tournament wins in its history. Pearl owns 6 of them. Plus the 1st outright SEC Championship since the Ice Age.
What's to complain about?
SuckTheseVols98 writes:
Highly doubtful...tabb is not a standup dude
johnlg00#206211 writes:
I have heard a lot about Pearl supposedly using us for a "stepping stone" which presumably means that he doesn't care about making UT a winner. What no one who says that has ever explained to me is just how do they think Pearl will ever "step up" if he DOESN'T make UT a winner? There are less than 15 to 20 programs in the country that would be considered a true "step up" from UT at the level to which Pearl has built it, all of which have gone farther than UT ever has in the post-season. Why would such a program ever hire Pearl if we don't at least make a Great Eight sometime? So, let's assume the worst, as you apparently do, and suppose Pearl IS just using us to go someplace better. I would only ask you, 1) where would such a place be? and 2) how does underachieving at UT help him get there? In the immortal words of Mr. Spock, your position is not logical.
TrouserCough writes:
This is a final four team!! Did you watch them play last year. Was it the lack of a point guard, Woolridge's air balls, Hopson's air balled free throws or the total lack of outside shooting that convinced you we are final four team?
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Thanks for responding, but you didn't really answer my question. "Any school that considers basketball a priority" would likely be one that ALREADY has a tradition of excelling in the NCAA, since this is what we are really talking about here. Such a school, especially if it is big and rich enough to pay as much as or more than UT does, would want a proven post-season winner, wouldn't they? Pearl can't move UP unless he proves he can win at UT. If he wins at UT and STILL leaves, then it has been PROVEN that UT CAN win at basketball and we may not get turned down by so many prospects the next time we have to hire someone. Furthermore, if he DOES win at UT, that would LIKELY mean that he has managed to recruit well, which would make the job even more attractive to the next guy. So what exactly is the downside here? Again, I just don't follow your logic.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but there seems to be a good deal of tangled logic on this and many other basketball threads. MTV and some few others seem to think we should just fire Pearl because he hasn't won big in the post-season. Some others like Tater seem to think Pearl will leave because UT doesn't support basketball enough, by not putting on a Midnight Madness extravaganza, for example.
To MTV, I would only say that firing Pearl would almost guarantee that no one of any higher stature would even consider UT at any salary UT is likely to pay if we fire the most successful coach we have ever had, barring a complete meltdown in the program, and I don't think even MTV thinks that will happen.
Tater seems not to realize that 1) the UT administration would likely do almost anything Pearl wants to promote the program, since he has been responsible for more ticket sales, wins, and general exposure for the basketball program of any coach in UT history in a comparable period of time and 2) it is PEARL himself who doesn't like the MM concept.
On the other hand--or maybe just on different days, since I still can't get a sense of what he REALLY thinks--Tater seems to think that Pearl is playing UT for an upward move. How is Pearl going to move UP if he doesn't win at UT? If he DOES win at UT and CHOOSES to move up, the program will at least look a LOT more attractive to his successor than it did when he took over. So who CARES if he is winning for himself or for US? If he ISN'T winning, he moves DOWN, since all his previous experience was at a lower level than UT, so he has all the incentive he needs to build the best possible program here. In case he doesn't continue to win, no possible successor can say that UT didn't support basketball while it was winning.
Is Pearl the best man to take UT to the absolute heights of college basketball? Who knows, since we have never been even close to that level before? Is the present level of success enough to satisfy the majority of Vol fans? It may well be, at least until it becomes evident that Pearl can't SUSTAIN that level. Right now, we have every prospect for a very successful season by almost any measure. Why don't we just wait to see how it all plays out before we all go riding over the cliff on our favorite hobby-horses? And could some of you PLEASE at least try to sort out your own opinions before you try to force them on everybody else?
mocsandvolsfan writes:
How can you mention Memphis in that list? BTW we currently are doing well against UK and Memphis the last 5 years. I doubt there are any recruits out there that UT wants that hasn't heard of or from Tennessee. However it would be fun to watch a UT "Madness" on the overated ESPN.
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